| | | There is a Way to Be Good Again.
The best selling novel is now one of the most acclaimed movies of the year. As young boys, Amir and Hassan were inseparable friends, until one fateful act tore them apart. Years later, Amir will embark on a dangerous quest to right the wrongs of the past - and redeem himself in ways he never expected - by displaying the ultimate in courage and devotion to his friend. Directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball), "The Kite Runner allows us to believe that there may be justice in the world." (Richard Corliss, Time)
"...[a] poignant, intimate epic, which should attract a strong following among discerning audiences." Alissa Simon, Variety
"...a film of exhilarating, redemptive humanity, conveying an enduring sense of hope." Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
"A compelling and uplifting tale that exposes the viewer to an unfamiliar, fascinating culture..." Claudia Puig, USA Today
"An engaging melodrama whose less convincing plot points are superseded by some astonishingly affecting performances..." Dan Jolin, Empire
"Surely one of the greatest films you are ever going to see!" Jeffrey Lyons, NBC's Reel Talk
"...a confident and honorable movie -- and a gripping one." Richard Schickel, Time
"This is a magnificent film!" Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Editor's Note
Based on the international bestseller by Khaled Hosseini, THE KITE RUNNER is a fascinating historical epic set in 20th-century Afghanistan. In 1978, Amir (Zekiria Ebrahimi) and Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada) are young boys living in Kabul, where Hassan and his father, Ali (Nabi Tanha), work as servants for Amir and his father, Baba (Homayoun Ershadi). Amir and Hassan make an excellent team in kite competitions, with Hassan having a gift for running down kites, but after one contest, he is bullied by Assef (Elham Ehsas), who does unspeakable things to him as Amir watches from a distance and then runs away, not helping his friend. As the Russians and then the Taliban take over Afghanistan, Baba and Amir escape to America, where they make a new home in San Francisco. But even as he graduates from college and meets a beautiful young woman, Soraya (Atossa Leoni), who is also from Kabul, Amir (now played by Khalid Abdalla) is haunted by his cowardice and can't turn down an opportunity to try to make things right when it is offered by his father's old friend Rahim Khan (Shaun Toub)--even if it means risking his life. THE KITE RUNNER was adapted for the screen by David Benioff (THE 25TH HOUR), with much of the dialogue spoken in Dari, one of the primary languages in Afghanistan. Director Marc Foster (MONSTER'S BALL, FINDING NEVERLAND) does a deft job navigating the complicated story, which moves from Afghanistan to San Francisco and Pakistan (with much of the film actually shot in China), using many nonprofessional actors and a subtle score composed by Alberto Iglesias. Ebrahimi and Mahmoodzada make impressive debuts, with solid work by Abddalla, Leoni, and especially Ershadi.
| Features | Audio Commentary With Marc Forster, Khaled Hosseini & David Benioff | | Audio: English, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Images From The Kite Runner | | Interactive Menus | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Words From The Kite Runner |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | The Kite Runner - DVD Review By: Chris Barsanti - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 4/4/2008 7:33 PM | |
Practically no other nation's modern history has been so rife with grief and shattered expectations as that of Afghanistan; a fact utilized to maximum effect by Marc Forster in his adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's book club blockbuster The Kite Runner. Starting in the relatively chaos-free years before the Soviet invasion and concluding in the middle of the Taliban's theocratic lockdown, the film manages the difficult task of tracking massive historical upheavals while keeping tightly focused on the people forced to live through such tumultuous changes....read the full review |
| The Kite Runner - DVD Review By: Ed Perkis - Cinema Blend DVD Reviews Published on: 4/21/2008 7:59 AM | | I never read "The Kite Runner," the best selling book by Khaled Hosseini about two young boys in his native Afghanistan and a shocking event that changes their lives. Therefore, I can't compare the book to the film adaptation directed by Marc Forster, but as the novel is often called "powerful" and "moving", it's clear something was lost in the transition. ...read the full review |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount Home Video |
| Release Date: 1/27/2009 |
| Running Time: 127.85 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 79742 | | UPC: 00097361179742 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: Dari | | Available Audio Tracks: Dari | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Nominee (2008) | | | British Academy Awards, William Horberg, et. al., Best Film Not in the English Language | | | British Academy Awards, Alberto Iglesias, Best Music | | | British Academy Awards, David Benioff, Best Screenplay - Adapted | | | Golden Globe, The Kite Runner, Best Foreign Language Film | | | Golden Globe, Alberto Iglesias, Best Original Score - Motion Picture | | | Oscar, Alberto Iglesias, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score |
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| | Professional Reviews | Box Office
"KITE soars to rare heights....The emotional impact of the conflicted father-and-son relationship between Ershadi's Baba and Abdalla's Amir is especially powerful..." 11/01/2007 p.116USA Today
"Khaled Hosseini's epic novel of fathers and sons is capably adapted by director Marc Foster into a moving and evocative film....Powerful and sweeping." 12/14/2007 Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "[Foster is] a master of finding the strong, warm pulse of humanity in any script through the performances he teases from his cast....Zekeria Ebrahimi emanates an intelligence and sensitivity that belies his age..." 01/01/2008 p.56 Entertainment Weekly
"It's a big saga....The challenge invigorates Marc Forster....A sense of reserve turns out to be a useful tool for peace." -- Grade: B 12/21/2007 p.58 Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "The film deftly spans the cruelty of Afghan history, from the Soviet invasion to Taliban desolation, delivering an absorbing snapshot of the country's deep-rooted customs." 02/01/2008 p.52 Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he film is an affecting story of personal honour and redemption." 05/01/2008 p.96 Reel.com 8 of 10
Practically no other nation's modern history has been so rife with grief and shattered expectations as that of Afghanistan. It's a fact utilized to maximum effect by Marc Foster in his adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's blockbuster novel, The Kite Runner...At his best, Forster can be a director of powerfully revelatory emotions, even in roughly constructed works like Monster's Ball. In The Kite Runner, those gifts are put to good use as Forster guides his fantastic cast (who have been little seen in Hollywood, except for Toub and Abdalla, who had brief roles in Crash and United 93, respectively) through some heavily emotional territory. But Hosseini's story is one that relies heavily on gimmicky turns in the action leading toward teary crescendos of the sort which Forster indulged in to excess in Finding Neverland. Now, it must be said that these kind of tear-stained climaxes are much more earned here than in that previous bauble of a film, given the film's weighty historical panorama. But for the evocative performances and the stunningly captured, severe beauty of the landscape (western China standing in for Afghanistan), by the end one feels tired and more than a little manipulated, like one of those kites malevolently jerking through the thin, cold air over Kabul. - Chris Barsanti
ReelViews 9 of 10
When a movie is made based on a book that millions of people have read, the first question asked often pertains to the faithfulness of the resultant cinematic product to its written inspiration. In the case of The Kite Runner, director Marc Forster and screenwriter David Benioff have taken pains to provide the best screen representation possible of Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel. Time constraints have forced some changes and contractions but, on the whole, it's hard to imagine a more effective and affecting adaptation. The Kite Runner touches the heart and the mind - something increasingly rare in any movie not made with the express intention of winning Oscars...Verisimilitude is a key attribute in The Kite Runner. While circumstances prevented filming from taking place in the country, Marc Forster utilized Chinese locations that are virtually indistinguishable from their Afghanistan counterparts. The Kite Runner establishes a distinct place and time, enveloping the viewer and drawing him (or her) in. The overall experience is immersive. At times brutal, at times touching, the movie stands out as one of the better "prestige" productions offered for cinematic consumption during the waning weeks of 2007. - James Berardinelli
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